Complicated is an understatement when it comes to describing Chelsea’s 2023/24 season. For the entirety of the season, Chelsea were consistently inconsistent. There have been a great number of disappointing moments for the Blues. However, they have also enjoyed some special moments, including an FA Cup semi-final appearance, a Carabao Cup final and a top 6 finish in the Premier League despite all odds.
Mauricio Pochettino’s Chelsea spent 25 match weeks of the season bouncing around 10th and 11th place, and even once getting as low as 15th. Finishing in the top 6 is a great achievement, rspecially considering they finished 12th in the previous season and had a particularly difficult run this season. However, the highs juxtaposed with inconsistencies that ultimately led to Mauricio Pochettino’s departure.
Tactical Evolution and Injury Plague
Pochettino’s tactics were not fully appreciated throughout the season, especially as he had diverted from what brought success during the pre-season campaign. His attempt to stabilize the midfield by deploying Marc Cucurella as an inverted fullback towards the season’s end was a strategic masterstroke, leading to a strong finish in the league.
The shape Chelsea played in during their final few games of the season mirrored their pre-season campaign. However, the season’s start was marred by inconsistent performances and poor tactics as well as poor in-game management. As a result, Chelsea oscillated between 10th and 11th up till April.
What might have perhaps made Pochettino’s reign difficult was the high influx of injuries before the season even started. From all 51 games the Blues played this season, here are some outstanding figures:
- Only twice (the final two games of the season) in 51 games did Chelsea have less than 6 players sidelined due to injury.
- On 11 occasions during the season, Chelsea had double-digit players unavailable due to injury, the highest number being 14.
- 22 players were sidelined due to injury, 20 of whom are regular starters.
- 15 players missed more than 10 games.
- 9 players missed more than 20 games.
- 7 players missed more than 30 games.
A Death Trap of a Run
Towards the end of October, Chelsea were heading towards what was anticipated to be a deadly round of Premier League fixtures. Their league fixtures from the end of October through to early December were Arsenal, Brentford, Tottenham, Manchester City, Brighton and Manchester United.
There were many doubts around the footballing world that Chelsea would walk out of that run with even a handful of points, let alone a single win. To a lot of people’s surprise though, Chelsea earned eight points, and two wins.
That period had some highs and some lows though, and put the spotlight on the Blues’ inconsistency.
Despite taking a strong lead against Arsenal, a poor second-half performance from Chelsea saw the game end in a draw. Two games later, they went on to have two games that had them being called ‘the Premier League’s entertainers’. They beat their other London rivals, Tottenham, 4-1 and had a 4-4 with Manchester City. Those two games were two of three Chelsea-inclusive nominations for the Premier League’s Match of the Season vote, of which their draw with City won.
However, their momentum went down the drain. They lost 4-1 to Newcastle, won 3-2 against Brighton and then lost 2-1 to Manchester United.
Unnecessary Struggles
The first few months of the football season in particular were quite difficult for Chelsea. Between August and February, in the Premier League, the Blues won only 10 games, drew five and lost 10. Among those 10 losses was a loss to Wolves in both the home and away fixtures, as well as a loss to Nottingham Forest and Everton.
Surprisingly, despite posing a threat against teams like Manchester City, Chelsea struggled against relegated teams. They had a 2-2 draw with 10-men Burnley and a 2-2 draw to Sheffield United only days after. These matches highlighted the team’s inconsistency and inability to maintain momentum.
A great achievement for a struggling Chelsea side was that they made it to the Carabao Cup final. However, it was no easy feat. Mudryk’s last-minute equalizer against Newcastle when all hope looked lost was followed by a shocking 1-0 loss to Championship side Middlesbrough. Luckily, for the second leg, Chelsea turned it around. They had a commanding 6-1 victory over Middlesbrough to go through to the finals where they lost to Liverpool yet again.
Cole Palmer FC
Cole Palmer emerged as a key figure this season, serving as a game-changer for almost every Chelsea fixture. Palmer, who joined from Manchester City in September for £40 million, was not expected to be such a high performer. With City coach Pep Guardiola being comfortable enough to let him go, there were doubts over the young Englishman’s ability.
Palmer quickly silenced his doubters and had an instant impact at his new club.
His standout performances, and his crucial penalties, were pivotal in many matches. For one, the six-goal spectacle against Everton where Palmer scored four. The then 21-year-old scored a hat-trick within 29 minutes – the quickest for the Blues in the Premier League. He also scored the earliest ‘perfect hat-trick’ – header, left foot and right foot. His first goal of that match was a contender for the Premier League’s Budweiser 2023/24 Goal of the Season.
Palmer had the most goal contributions in the Premier League this season (33), with 22 goals and 11 assists. A true game changer, the forward’s display against Man United was voted most impactful performance of 2023/24, allowing him to pick up the 2023/24 Castrol Game Changer of the Season award.
His impact was so profound that his absence due to illness against Arsenal underscored Chelsea’s reliance on the young forward, leading to a humbling defeat. Before the game, speaking to the press, Mauricio Pochettino was adamant about having Chelsea prove that they were not ‘Cole Palmer Football Club.’
For a large number of games, it looked like the game plan was to pass the ball to Palmer and hope he does something special with it.
Other Standouts
However, other players stood out throughout the season for Chelsea. Malo Gusto joined from French side Lyon. The Frenchman has been a great replacement for Reece James who spent a large part of the season absent due to injury. On many occasions, he was the only natural fullback on the pitch and controlled his wing with class.
The partnership between Chelsea legend Thiago Silva and Cobham graduate Trevor Chalobah in the final few months of the season was brilliant. Unlike the 2022/23 season, the Blues struggled defensively. In the 2023/24 season, Chelsea conceded 63 goals and only managed eight Premier League clean sheets. However, Chalobah returned to the starting lineup after being sidelined due to injury, and Silva too returned to the starting lineup. They proved to be Chelsea’s better central defence pairing.
One Foot Into Europe
For the 2023/24 season, Chelsea did not play European football for the first time since the 2016/17 season. When Pochettino joined the Blues, the objective was said to be to get Chelsea back in Europe.
For a large part of the season, however, Chelsea danced around 10th and 11th. European football seemed near impossible at some points of the season for the Argentine’s team. However, after a boost in performance in their final six games of the season, Chelsea propelled to 6th place.
Unfortunately for the Blues though, despite a top-six finish, Manchester United’s FA Cup victory saw them enter the UEFA Conference League playoff round instead of the Europa League proper. The outcome of these playoffs will be crucial in determining the club’s European fate for the next season.
The Conference League play-off round draw will be held on Monday, 5th August, while the double-legged tie itself takes place on 22nd and 29th August.